Saltwater Crocodile facts

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 1
The Saltwater crocodile can travel over a thousand kilometres by sea but needs dry land to reproduce. Barnacles have been found growing on the scales of some crocs, indicating that they have spent extended periods of time in marine conditions.

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 2
The brain of a saltwater crocodile can comprise as little as 0.05% of the body weight.

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 3
Because of its broad body and the low number of armor plates on the neck, the Saltwater crocodile was earlier believed by some to be an alligator rather than a true crocodile. It is sometimes referred to as Gator in Australia and the Alligator Rivers are named after this species.

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 4
The commercial value of the hide is very high, a fact that is now taken advantage of by sustainable use programs in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The Saltwater crocodile has the most expensive hide of all crocodilians, chiefly due to its size, the shape of its belly scales, and the absence of ventral osteoderms (osteoderms makes a hide more difficult to tan). Sustainable use programs have been successful in providing local populations with incentives to preserve both the crocodiles and their habitat, something which is beneficial for other species as well.

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 5
Within its native range, the Saltwater crocodile is known under many different names, such as Estaurine Crocodile, Sea-going crocodile, Baya, Buaja, Buaya muara, Gatta Kimbula, Gorekeya, Kone huala, Jara Kaenumken, Pita Gatteya, Semmukhan Muthlelei, Singapore small grain (not to be confused with Crocodylussiamensis), and the colloquial 'Saltie'. One of the Australian aboriginal names for this species is Pukpuk.

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 6
The scientific nameCrocodylus porosus is an allusion to the rugose and bumpy upper surface of the snout seen in large adult specimens. Porosus means "full of callosities" and is derived from, porosis, the Greek word for callosity, and osus, the Latin word for "full of".

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 7
A large Saltwater crocodile can quite easily kill a human being. In Australia, one or two fatal attacks are reported on average per year. It is however possible that attacks occur without being reported, e.g. in the Aboriginal community of Arnhem Land. For other countries than Australia, data is limited but killings have been reported from countries such as India, Borneo, Sumatra, and Myanmar / Burma during recent years. Papua New Guinea is believed to have a fairly large incidence of unreported crocodile attacks due to its large crocodile population.

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 8
The subspecies C. p. minikanna has been suggested, but it is not an officially recognized subspecies.

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 9
In India, Saltwater crocodile restocking programs in the Bhitarkanika National Park in Orissa have been successful. Throughout the rest of India the species is still very rare.

Saltwater Crocodile facts # 10
A large crocodile is strong enough to crush the skull of a fully grown bovid between its jaws and can draw a water buffalo weighing over a one tonne into the water. When a Saltwater crocodile hunts, it usually ambushes prey that comes close enough to the water edge. Most animals are killed by the strong jaws, but drownings also occur since the crocodile always drags its prey into the water. The Saltwater crocodile is famous for its “death roll”, a technique where it grabs onto an animal and then proceeds to roll to throw the animal off balance. This rolling technique can also be used to tear apart large animals after they’ve been killed.